Alans Painting 

Curator: What are your initial thoughts on this watercolor painting, "Alans Painting?" It seems to evoke elements of impressionist landscapes. Editor: Well, first off, there is an immediate whimsicality to it, but with this interesting undercurrent of...something else, something maybe slightly sinister? I can’t quite place it yet. Curator: Perhaps what you’re picking up on are echoes of modernism. The use of geometric shapes in what might be a tree, or a pond. Editor: Yes, that pond really bothers me. Look at the materiality of that space; the white paint sort of clumps, almost violently, within the confines of a rough angular…bathtub? How does the production speak to you? Curator: It’s fascinating, this supposed landscape feels disrupted, doesn’t it? The blending of the typical, calming watercolor techniques of landscapes juxtaposed with what seem to be harsh, unblended geometrical forms feels... unsettling to be sure, but also indicative of this move in modernism toward dismantling expectations. Do you agree? Editor: Entirely. You have this gentle medium, watercolor, traditionally used for airy landscapes. And look at the strange labor being displayed, the strange hand and application, that has an almost childlike quality of naive execution. Do you get a sense that we are confronting notions of craft and “high” art here? Curator: I think you hit on a critical point: we are invited to question how value is assigned through the guise of innocence of medium; in addition, watercolor paintings themselves experienced a critical roller coaster throughout art history. This tension is really exciting to witness on canvas. Editor: This conversation has caused me to readjust how I understand "Alans Painting," specifically by focusing on these social, cultural, and even industrial historical influences. Thank you. Curator: Indeed. I came to reconsider assumptions that landscape always assumes harmonious integration of materials. Perhaps Alans intention was to upend just this expectation. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.